pedestal. Such had the vase been in the days of its prosperity, when
it stood on the top of the book-case. By what accident had it become
broken? And why had Major Fitz-David's face changed when he found that
I had discovered the remains of his shattered work of art in the cabinet
drawer?

The remains left those serious questions unanswered--the remains told me
absolutely nothing. And yet, if my own observation of the Major were to
be trusted, the way to the clew of which I was in search lay, directly
or indirectly, through the broken vase.

It was useless to pursue the question, knowing no more than I knew now.
I returned to the book-case.

Thus far I had assumed (without any sufficient reason) that the clew of
which I was in search must necessarily reveal itself through a written
paper of some sort. It now occurred to me--after the movement which
I had detected on the part of the Major--that the clew might quite as
probably present itself in the form of a book.

I looked along the lower rows of shelves, standing just near enough to
them to read the titles on the backs of the volumes. I saw Voltaire in
red morocco, Shakespeare in blue, Walter Scott in green, the "History of
England" in brown, the "Annual Register" in yellow calf. There I paused,
wearied and discouraged already by the long rows of volumes. How (I
thought to myself) am I to examine all these books? And what am I to
look for, even if I do examine them all?

Major Fitz-David had spoken of a terrible misfortune which had darkened
my husband's past life. In what possible way could any trace of that
misfortune, or any suggestive hint of something resembling it, exist in
the archives of the "Annual Register" or in the pages of Voltaire?
The bare idea of such a thing seemed absurd The mere attempt to make a
serious examination in this direction was surely a wanton waste of time.

And yet the Major had certainly stolen a look at the book-case. And
again, the broken vase had once stood on the book-case. Did these
circumstances justify me in connecting the vase and the book-case as
twin landmarks on the way that led to discovery? The question was not an
easy one to decide on the spur of the moment.

I looked up at the higher shelves.

Here the collection of books exhibited a greater variety. The volumes
were smaller, and were not so carefully arranged as on the lower
shelves. Some were bound in cloth, some were only protected by paper
covers; one or two